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FileSystemEntry: copyTo() method

Deprecated: This feature is no longer recommended. Though some browsers might still support it, it may have already been removed from the relevant web standards, may be in the process of being dropped, or may only be kept for compatibility purposes. Avoid using it, and update existing code if possible; see the compatibility table at the bottom of this page to guide your decision. Be aware that this feature may cease to work at any time.

Non-standard: This feature is non-standard and is not on a standards track. Do not use it on production sites facing the Web: it will not work for every user. There may also be large incompatibilities between implementations and the behavior may change in the future.

The FileSystemEntry interface's method copyTo() copies the file specified by the entry to a new location on the file system.

There are some typical restrictions on what you can do:

  • A directory can't be copied into itself.
  • An entry can't be copied into its parent directory unless you specify a new name.
  • When copying a directory, the copy is always recursive; you can't leave out subfolders.

Syntax

js

copyTo(newParent)
copyTo(newParent, newName)
copyTo(newParent, newName, successCallback)
copyTo(newParent, newName, successCallback, errorCallback)

Parameters

newParent

A FileSystemDirectoryEntry object specifying the destination directory for the copy operation.

newName Optional

If this parameter is provided, the copy is given this string as its new file or directory name.

successCallback Optional

A function which is called when the copy operation is successfully completed. Receives a single input parameter: a FileSystemEntry based object providing the copied item's new details.

errorCallback Optional

An optional callback which is executed if an error occurs while copying the items. There's a single parameter: a FileError describing what went wrong.

Return value

None (undefined).

Errors

FileError.INVALID_MODIFICATION_ERR

The requested operation involves an impossible change, such as moving a directory inside itself or one of its own child directories, or copying an item within the same directory without renaming it.

FileError.QUOTA_EXCEEDED_ERR

The operation exceeded the user's storage quota, or there isn't enough storage space left to complete the operation.

Examples

This example shows how a temporary log file might be moved into a more permanent "log" directory.

js

workingDirectory.getFile(
  "tmp/log.txt",
  {},
  (fileEntry) => {
    workingDirectory.getDirectory(
      "log",
      {},
      (dirEntry) => {
        fileEntry.copyTo(dirEntry);
      },
      handleError,
    );
  },
  handleError,
);

Browser compatibility

Desktop Mobile
Chrome Edge Firefox Internet Explorer Opera Safari WebView Android Chrome Android Firefox for Android Opera Android Safari on IOS Samsung Internet
copyTo 8 79 No No No No ≤37 18 No 14 No 1.0

See also

© 2005–2023 MDN contributors.
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/FileSystemEntry/copyTo